With their second to last show in the books, the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion put together yet another solid show. It's sad to think that all of these free shows that have been one of my prized possessions on the Versus network will be whisked away and assimilated with the UFC. But, bigger paydays for these guys outweigh my own selfish needs. And speaking of bigger paydays, a few of last nights competitors picked some much deserved bonus earnings for their efforts. ...

WEC 52: “Faber vs. Mizugaki” is now a thing of the past, and now more than ever, fans and insiders are wondering: what’s next? The WEC has only one show left before it’s folded into the UFC and the UFC adds both a Bantamweight and a Featherweight division to its roster. How big a part will the WEC 52 winners and losers play in the UFC? Where do they all go from here, and what do they have to look forward to? Here’s the latest installment in my “What’s Next” series, featuring the stars of WEC 52: “Faber vs. Mizugaki”. ...

Today marked the beginning of the end of an era: wec 52 “Faber vs. Mizugaki” is now a thing of the past, with the promotion itself soon to be in the history books as well. In the main event of the evening, the man who initially put the WEC on the map defiantly proved that he wasn’t going down without a fight, as former long-reigning WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber made a dominant statement when he debuted at Bantamweight and choked out former championship challenger Takeya Mizugaki. Here are the full results as well as my thoughts on “Faber vs. Mizugaki”. ...

Tomorrow (November 11) will mark the second-to-last WEC show in the promotion’s nine-year history: WEC 52 “Faber vs. Mizugaki”, which is scheduled to take place at The Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada. After WEC 53 in December, the promotion that gave us some ridiculously amazing fights in 2010 and was home to the best lighter-weight fighters in the planet will finally be folded into the juggernaut that is the UFC. And how fitting it is that the man who arguably began the “lighter fighter” boom, “The California Kid” Urijah Faber, is called on once again to carry the WEC into the future. It’s a pivotal show with some great fights, so here are my picks and predictions for WEC 52: “Faber vs. Mizugaki”. ...

Generally speaking, a lot of people feel positive about the announced merger of the WEC and UFC. Fans will get better fights, fighters will get bigger paychecks. There are some negatives that come from the WEC basically being swallowed up by the UFC, but for the most part, both anticipation and expectations remain high. Heading into his final WEC event, the man who basically helped put the entire promotion on the map, former long-reigning WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber, recently talked about why he believed that the best is yet to come as the WEC’s best make their way to their new home. ...

For the most part, it’s the hopeful cast of newcomers that benefits from a new season of “The Ultimate Fighter”. The in-depth and extremely candid look into the lives of a cast of real men and real athletes far removed from any “human cockfighting” stereotypes remains one of the biggest reasons the “TUF formula” has remained so fresh even as its landmark twelfth season begins to wind down. But a TUF coaching gig is also a highly-regarded spot, as it allows fans an equally in-depth look into the lives of actual, high-level ufc fighters. In the past, some TUF coaches have even used the show to revitalize their careers. And one former champion who’s in the middle of a career rebirth of his own seems all-too-willing to don the coaching jersey: former WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber. ...

Many MMA fighters have dropped down or gone up a weight class over the years in order to help revitalize their career. In general, the excitement of seeing them face new and interesting opponents is tempered with the knowledge that this increase/decrease in weight is due to the fact that the fighter has been unsuccessful at their current weight division for an extended period of time. This holds true for WEC poster child Urijah Faber, who is 1-2 in his last three fights and 2-3 in his last five. Recently, Faber discussed his difficult weight cut, and was extremely candid about the difficulties involved in dropping down a weight division. Here are all the details. ...

At WEC 51, we saw Jose Aldo continue to establish his dominance as the best featherweight on the planet, when he bested season five finalist of "The Ultimate Fighter", in Manny Gamburyan. Almost with surgeon like precision, Aldo felt out the first round before exploding on the Armenian in the second, quickly stunning him with a right cross and followed up with an uppercut. After a barrage of ground and pound, the fight was waived and the Brazilian was hailed the winner by way of knockout. However, even though the Nova Uniao product is widely considered as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, even he couldn't save the poor gate numbers that WEC 51 had produced, in Broomfield, Colo. ...

New details have been revealed for the upcoming WEC 52 event, including the card’s headlining attraction. Sherdog.com reports that Urijah Faber will once again receive top billing, as it’s been officially announced that his Bantamweight debut will be the main event. Faber’s first opponent at 135 is no slouch: Takeya Mizugaki is a former WEC Bantamweight Championship contender and has gone 2-2 in the WEC. Here’s the official card so far as well as my thoughts. ...

As the fantastic year MMA had in 2010 draws closer and closer to a close, I’m left wondering what 2011 could bring us that could possibly hold a candle to some of the crazy events of this year. This year gave us amazing shows, unpredictable outcomes, the continued growth of the sport, new champions, new challengers, and so much more. It’s going to take a lot to outdo 2010. In that regard, here are five fantasy match-ups that I think could realistically happen in 2011 and would go a long way towards outdoing 2010 in terms of excitement, anticipation, and fight quality. ...

When it comes to the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion, all eyes are rightfully on the upcoming WEC 51 show. Featuring such stars as Jose Aldo, Manvel Gamburyan, Jamie Varner, Donald Cerrone, Miguel Torres, Chan Sung Jung, and Leonard Garcia, WEC 51 is shaping up to be another fantastic event in a year filled to the brim with fantastic WEC events. Looking further into the future, WEC 52 recently received a big boost when it was announced that both former WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber and former WEC Bantamweight Champion Brian Bowles would be making their returns to the famous blue cage at WEC 52. ...

For perhaps the first time in his career, Urijah Faber is at a crossroads. The man who started his career with an eight-fight win streak and exploded into the mainstream with a thirteen-fight win streak is now 2-3 in his last five fights. It seems that the WEC’s Featherweight division, the division he once ruled with an iron fist, has finally caught up to him. Some fans and industry insiders have even speculated that the Featherweight division has in fact passed Faber by, their chief example being the five-round thrashing he received at the hands (and most notably, the leg kicks) of current WEC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo. Like so many other great fighters before him, Faber is hoping that a change in weight divisions will result in a reversal of fortunes and help get him back to his winning ways. After his debut in the WEC’s Bantamweight division was put to a halt due to a knee injury, Faber recently revealed that his return to active competition should be in November of this year, and that he’s ready to remind WEC fans why “The California Kid” became so famous in the first place. ...

As the main event of WEC 50 drew near, it seemed like it was time for Joseph Benavidez to shine. He had never looked better in the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion. His base salary as a challenger was higher than the base salary of the defending champion. Perhaps most importantly, Benavidez was coming off of the biggest win of his career, having become the only man to ever submit former division kingpin Miguel Torres. With his improving skills and the confidence gained from the Torres fight, Benavidez seemed primed to avenge the only loss on his professional MMA record and win the WEC Bantamweight Championship in the process. But new champion Dominick Cruz had other plans, and now that Cruz has his first win as champion under his belt, I’m left wondering if we’ve entered a new era in the WEC Bantamweight division. ...

In the same vein as my “Fight of the Half-Year” article focusing on what I thought was the best fight of 2010 so far, today’s article focuses on what I consider the best MMA event of 2010 now that half the year has come and gone. 2010 has been a great year for our beloved sport, with shocking moments seeming to spring up at least once per fight card. From Fedor Emelianenko losing to Brock Lesnar winning by submission, and everything in-between, Mixed Martial Arts in 2010 has been a rollercoaster ride. But only one event not only turned in amazing fight after amazing fight, but practically defined the promotion itself and truly solidified its company as one that is ready for an explosion into the mainstream. For what it accomplished and the fights it produced, WEC 48: “Aldo vs. Faber” is my “Event of the Half-Year”. ...

Saturday night the North American Allied Fight Series (NAAFS) held Fight Night in the Flats VI. The main event saw Chris Lozano (5-0) take on "Dynamite" Jason Dent (21-11) in a five round title fight. ...

The WEC officially announced WEC 48 headlined by WEC featherweight champion “Junior” Jose Aldo (15-1) versus former champ ”California Kid” Urijah Faber (22-3) in Sacramento April 24.  It'll be the WEC's first pay per view (PPV) event and they will charge $44.99. ...

The anticipated lightweight title unification bout between WEC champion "The Worm" Jamie Varner (16-3) and interim champion “Smooth” Ben Henderson (9-1) will take place at WEC 46 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento on January 10, the WEC confirmed Monday. ...

“California Kid” Urijah Faber (22-3) signed a multi-fight, multi-year contract to return to Zuffa, LLC.-owned World Extreme Cagefighting, announced WEC general manager Reed Harris on MMA Junkie Radio Monday. ...

The WEC officially announced Monday that WEC 38: Varner vs Cerrone will take place 25 January at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, CA. Besides the title defense by WEC Lightweight Champion “The Worm” Jamie Varner (15-3) against “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone (8-1), WEC 38 will feature a rematch between “California Kid” Urijah Faber (21-2) and “Little Evil” Jens Pulver (22-9-1). Faber, then the Featherweight Champion, earned a unanimous decision victory over Pulver in their first fight at WEC 34 in June. Faber lost his title at WEC 36 in November when he was TKO’d at 2:23 of round one by Mike Thomas Brown (16-4). Pulver also lost his last fight at the same event.  He was TKO’d at 1:12 of the first round by “Bad Boy” Leonard Garcia (11-3). ...

Former WEC Featherweight champion "California Kid" Urijah Faber (21-2) got shocked by American Top Team's Mike Thomas Brown (15-4) via TKO stoppage at 2:23 of the first round Wednesday night at WEC 36 in Hollywood, north of Miami. Brown took the title decisively following a right hand that laid the former champ out.  Chael Sonnen (21-9-1) won a surprisingly boring unanimous decision over Fighters.com's third-ranked middleweight and WEC Middleweight Champion Paulo Filho (15-1) in a non-title fight that was heckled by fans throughout.  Official scores were 10-9 twice for Sonnen, 10-8 for Sonnen.  "Bad Boy" Leonard Garcia (11-3) dismantled "Little Evil" Jens Pulver (22-9-1) in a 1:12 TKO shocker to move up the ranks in the WEC's stacked 145-pound division. ...

Fighters.com caught up with WEC featherweight title challenger Mike Thomas Brown  (19-4) on the horizon of the most important fight of his career in Sunrise, north of Miami, 5 November. Fighters.com: On November fifth you're facing "California Kid" Urijah Faber (21-0) for the WEC featherweight title.  Some analysts have labeled Faber the best MMA featherweight in history.  Does facing a popular fighter like Faber bring intimidation or do you find motivation in the potential dethroning of a champion during the peak of his career? Mike Thomas Brown:  I love being the underdog.  I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  Urijah is a very tough guy; but, I train with tons of tough guys.  It's just another day at the office. Fighters.com: Would you say that the approaching title bout is the most important fight of your life? ...

WEC Featherweight Champion “California Kid” Urijah Faber (21-1) will defend his title against Florida native Mike Thomas Brown (19-4) 10 September in Hollywood, FL, the WEC announced Thursday. Faber most recently won a unanimous decision against former UFC Lightweight Champion “Little Evil” Jens Pulver (25-10-1) in June, extending his win streak to thirteen. WEC 36 will be Faber’s sixth title defense. Brown, from American Top Team, will look to extend his own seven-fight win streak. He most recently earned a unanimous decision over “The Big Frog” Jeff Curran (34-10-1) in June. Also headlining the event is a middleweight title rematch between champion "Ely" Paulo Filho (16-0) and Chael Sonnen (20-9-1). ...

“Bad Boy” Leonard Garcia (11-3) has had his share of tough fights.  In March, a fight for his freedom was in the first round. It all started when a hometown acquaintance of Garcia’s was arrested with a large amount of cocaine back in 2005.  Unfortunately for Garcia, his visitor was caught right outside of Garcia's home with the stash. “This was something that happened way before I was in the UFC or the WEC.  I had kind of took a wrong turn in life and had a poor judgment of friends," Garcia said. The WEC featherweight stand out was charged as a co-conspirator and connected to a South Texas drug ring, affecting whis whole family, which includes Jackson's MMA. The news shocked the entire mixed martial arts world and especially Garcia. ...

Fighters.com's fourth-ranked lightweight "Prodigy" BJ Penn (13-4-1), "The Count" Michael Bisping (16-1), “California Kid” Urijah Faber (21-1), and Carlos Condit (22-4) are among the fighters who will travel to Afghanistan this month to visit the members of the U.S. Military stationed there.  The tour, 14-23 June, will cover six military bases. UFC President Dana White said, "We are honored to send UFC and WEC fighters to visit the men and women of the United States Military. We are pleased to be giving back to such a great cause; many of our fighters have served in the military and understand what a great contribution our troops are making overseas.” Among those who have previously visited the military are second-ranked heavyweight "The Natural" Randy Couture (16-8), second-ranked middleweight "Ace" Rich Franklin (23-3), "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz (15-6-1), and fifth-ranked welterweight Matt Hughes (42-7). Along with sending fighters to visit various bases across the US and overseas, the UFC also staged an event, UFC: Fight Night 7, at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, that was open only to troops. ...

At a UFC 83 press conference in Montréal Friday, UFC President Dana White, fighting illness, revealed his plans to feature lower weight classes in the WEC and higher weight classes in the UFC. "We're still trying to figure that out," White admitted, but added, "We're going to make the WEC the smaller weights and the UFC will be the heavier weights.  We'll probably take some of the guys in the higher weights, the champions over there and bring them into UFC." The WEC currently features featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, and light heavyweight divsions.  The UFC includes lightweight up to heavyweight divisions. The UFC has recently lost several top heavyweight talents, including Fighters.com's third-ranked heavyweight "Maine-iac" Tim Sylvia (24-4), who was released by white and signed by Adrenaline MMA. Fighters.com's second-ranked heavyweight, "The Natural" Randy Couture (16-8) "resigned" from his UFC contract in October 2007; though, White continues to consider Couture a co-holder of the UFC heavyweight title with "Minotauro" Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1).  Friday, White repeated his invitation to Couture to settle the championship versus Nogueira. Fighters.com's sixth-ranked heavyweight "Pitbull" Andrei Arlovski (12-5) is currently a free agent and expected to leave the UFC, though White repeated Friday his optimism in re-signing Arlovski. Former top-ranked heavy "Cro Cop" Mirko Filipovic (23-6-2) was also recently released from his UFC contract after losing two straight. Champions who could be changing promotions are WEC Light Heavyweight Champion "All American" Brian Stann (6-0), WEC Middleweight Champion and Fighters.com third-ranked 185-pounder "Ely" Paulo Filho (16-0), and UFC Lightweight Champion and Fighters.com's fourth-ranked 155-pounder "The Prodigy" B.J. Penn (12-4-1). White also mentioned his desire to match WEC Featherweight Champion "California Kid" Urijah Faber (20-1) versus "Kid" Norifumi Yamamoto (17-1).  The two fighters are considered the world's best at 145-pounds.  White stated that "Kid" "comes with a big price-tag." ...